Question:

Hi Jim, I'm a retired navy fighter pilot and was diagnosed with prostate cancer only 3 years after retirement in 2009. At the young age of 43, I had a radical prostatectomy and while I'm now cancer-free 7 years later, I live with the side effects of the prostatectomy.  I never related my diagnosis to military service however, there is now considerable evidence to link fighter aircraft radiation emission to cancer. Have you heard of any precedence being set in this area? Should I file a claim?
Thanks.

Jim's Reply:

Legal precedence isn't as commonly talked about in VA claims as in other venues. Each claim is unique and decided on its won merit. You're pretty much on your own so far as filing the claim goes, I question whether the average VSO or "VA rep" will have the knowledge you'll need to prove your claim. While there is an awful lot of chatter about pilots and the damages of the sorts of radiation exposure they may receive, I don't think that there is anything carved in stone that might help you. If I were you, I'd do enough research on my own to file a claim stating that "environmental hazards" that you encountered during your service caused or contributed to the early onset of prostate cancer. I'd mention anything you learn about radiation at altitude and I'd incluse such environmental hazards as jet fuel and such. Lately I'm urging veterans who have somewhat equivocal claims to go ahead and seek an independent medical opinion prior to filing the claim. More about that is here